I’d like to share two stories from my time on La Vida, one from my trip as a participant and the other from my first summer on staff. I was a participant in the Fall of ’85. The La Vida trip was later than usual that year due to waiting for Ferrin Hall to be completed and took place in September instead of August. Our leaders were Liz Hurley and Bruce Deckert. A couple days into the trip we got rained out of rock climbing so we carried on and bushwacked up Porter Mountain from Owl’s Head and hiked down the other side to camp.

The next morning we were on our own for our first day of ‘finals’. We hiked up the trail to Slant Rock that day in the rain and we passed hiking parties that told us things like “the bear kept us up all night” and “the bear got our food and we’re having to hike out.” Like just about every other group on their first day of finals, we had gotten out of camp late that morning and by the time we went to hang the bear rope, it was dark. We all went out to do this and we were making a bunch of fairly nervous noises to intimidate any lingering bear out of the temptation to take a stab at our grub. While this was going on, an audible-only-to-me Word of the Lord was given me which said: “Brian, there will be no bear.” This word was unmistakably clear, self-evident in its origin, and completely comforting. It was also the only time I’ve received a Word in this way from the Lord.

There was no bear that night. Not only that, in my five subsequent summers of being on staff in the ADK’s and in the spring and fall teaching Discovery classes and weekends, I only ever saw a bear once. It was a yearling on the shore of one of the ADK ponds and I saw it briefly from several hundred yards away sitting in a canoe. I’d regularly go for re-supply during solo and get back and be told I had just missed a bear. I heard a bear one evening run across the trail ahead of us and splash through a nearby creek, but it was dark and I never saw it. I heard a bear walk around our campsite one morning before dawn, but never saw it for the lack of light. The Lord was truly faithful to Word of His to me, not just that night at Slant Rock, but during my entire time with La Vida.

The other story I’d like to share is from my first year working on staff in the ADK’s in ’88. I haven’t taken the time to hunt down my ADK guidebook, so the names of the ponds elude me. But anyone who’s done it surely remembers the two-mile portage! Well, I was doing a lap on that sucker with one of those famous 17 foot aluminum Grumman canoes which ran I think we said in the neighborhood of 70 pounds or so.

Another thing veterans of canoe trips of that era will remember is the yoke pads in use at the time. Their nature was testified to by the way Rich had to regularly remind us not to allow participants to use life vests for padding! This was my first trip as an assistant leader to Robin Pride along with Todd McKidridge (sp?) I was about three quarters of the way through this portage and there wasn’t anyone else in close proximity so I was there walking along by myself struggling to give a good show and bear up under this canoe for the distance. I was also praying “Lord please help me carry this thing!” Well, when I was about a quarter of a mile out from the next pond, that canoe literally became weightless. I didn’t see a thing. All I felt was a relief from the entire weight of that canoe off of my shoulders. It was as if the Lord reached down and grabbed it or sent angels to walk ahead and behind to carry that thing for the last bit of that journey. This was another of His numerous great ministries to me during my time with La Vida. (Did I mention I also met my wife (25 years this April) on La Vida as well? That’s another story of His working!)